Refrigerator latch



July 13, 1937. c. GESKE Er AL REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed Feb. 18, 1936 Patented July 13, 1931 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR LATCH Carl Geske and Clyde E. Yost, Grand Rapids,

Mich., assignors to Winters & Crampton Corporation, Grandville, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 18, 1936, Serial No. 64,424 5 Claims. (01. 292-226) This invention relates to latches adapted to be used for releasably holding doors in closed position. One place where the latch is very useful is in connection with refrigerator doors, though the latch is not limited in use to refrigerator doors alone.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a very practical, eflicient, durable and economically manufactured latch wherein substantially all parts of the latch are of stamped sheet metal. This stamped sheet metal construction permits rapid and economical manufacture. The invention may be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the latch structure of our invention, showing the same applied to a door and in association with a keeper mounted upon a door casing.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section therethrough, substantially at the central horizontal plane of the latch, and showing a door to which the latch is applied in closed position.

. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the door in the act of being opened, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views taken of different portions of the rocking sheet metal latch bolt which is used in the latch structure.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The fragmentary portions of the door I and of the door jamb or casing 2 are illustrative of refrigerator construction as to doors and casings which are used. On the door casing a keeper is mounted, which in the illustration thereof shown is made of sheet metal, having a base 3, secured by screws or other suitable fastenings to the casing 2, and from which a hollow strike portion 4 extends outwardly with an open inner side 5, which side, adjacent the outer portions thereof, is partially closed by stamping the metal as illustrated at 6 and terminating in an inturned flange or shoulder 1. The strike need not be of sheet metal but can be cast quite as well and serve its purposes for retaining the latch in the same manner.

The latch mounted on the door includes a sheet metal support with a flat central portion 8, from which integral attaching flanges 9 extend oppositely and through which screws or other fastenings are passed to secure the latch to the door. At the outer portion of the central portion 8 a short semi-casing I is pressed from the metal, the sides of which are extended for a considerable distance, making spaced apart relatively large,

supporting ears ll, through which a pivot pin l2 passes for the pivotal mounting of a latch handle I3. The latch handle is of hollow form made of sheet metal and has the end thereof, which passes between the ears, open. The pivot pin l2 passes through the ears II and through the opposite sides of the handle l3 closely adjacent the open end of the handle. At the front edge of the top of the semi-casing portion III, a stop flange I4 is turned inwardly, against which the handle normally bears when free to do so under the influence of a spring acting on the handle as will later be described.

A locking latch bolt'is mounted on the pivot pin l2 and extends partly into the open end of the handle 13. The latch bolt is made of a single plate of sheet metal having an outer side with three sections l5, l6 and H as shown, with spaced apart parallel sides 18 extending rearwardly, each of which at its lower part (as shown in the drawing) has an inturned lip IS, the free edges of the two lips coming closely together and each of said lips having a transverse depression 20 therein. The section l8 comprises a keeper receiving recess while the sections, l and I1 with the parts of the sides l8 extending therefrom provide two spaced apart fingers to cooperate with the keeper in the operations of the latch.

The sides I8 of the latch bolt have circular openings 2| for the passage of the pivot pin l2 and also are provided with arc-shaped slots 22 inwardly therefrom, at the upper end portions of which the metal is turned inwardly for a short distance to make widened bearing surfaces 23. A pin 24 passes through the arc-shaped slots 22 and through the adjacent sides of the handle l3 near the open end of the handle. A coiled spring 25 is located around the pivot pin l2 and has oppositely extended legs, one of which bears on the pin 24 and the other against the upper portion of the recessed section I6 of the outer.

side of the locking bolt. The efiect of this spring is to normally hold the handle at an inner position engaging against the lip 14.

The closed end of the semi-casing portion l0 has'an outwardly pressed head 26 which at its inner side forms a socket to receive-a headed end of a fiat plate 21. A second flat plate 28 lies underneath the plate 21 and is slidable with respect thereto and has its outer end received in the grooves 20 of the bolt. Ears 28 are bent at right angles from the plate 28 and at opposite sides thereof toward the top of the casing portion In, being located toward the front end'of the plate 28; and between the same and the head at the inner end of the plate 21 a'relatively heavy coiled spring 30 is located, the plates 21 and 28 passing lengthwise through such spring.

When the. door is closed, as shown in Fig. 2,

the keeper is seated in the recess l6 of the latch bolt and the line of force of the spring 30 passes underneath the axis of the pivot pin l2. To open the door the handle l3 is grasped and the same swung outwardly, turned in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of pin I2. The pin 26 carried by the handle engages the upper ends of the curved slots 22 and turns the latch bolt to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon with a continued outward pulling on the handle the door I is swung open. As soon as the handle is released spring 25 swings the handle back to the same relative position with respect to the semicasing III that it occupies in Fig. 2, though the bolt will still remain in the position shown in Fig. 3.

On closing the door the outer finger, comprising the section l5 and the parts of the sides I8 which join therewith, strikes against the outer end or head of the keeper, turning the latch bolt about its pivot in a clockwise direction. In opening the door and swinging the latch bolt from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, the line of force of spring 30 passes across the axis of the pivot pin l2 while in closing the same the line of force of said spring swings back to original position, as shown in Fig. 2, thus bringing the lower finger, comprised of the section I! and the parts of the sides l8 extending therefrom, underneath the ledge or shelf I of the keeper, as shown in Fig. 2, the force of the spring exerted to tend to turn the latch bolt in a clockwise direction and thus hold the door snugly closed.

This structure of latch is readily formed of sheet. metal by suitable dies. All parts are of sheet metal exceptthe springs 25 and 30 and the pivot pins, though as said before, the keeper will serve all purposes quite as well if it is made as a casting. The ears-29 stop the rocking movement of the latch bolt in a counterclockwise direction when the same come against the inclined top of the semi-casing l0 as shown in Fig. 3.

The latch is durable and particularl'yefiicient in use and operation and has so proved in practice. The invention is definedin the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive oi all forms of structure coming within their scope.

We claim: r

1. In a latch construction,' a support having spaced apart sides, a pivot pin extending therethrough, a bolt pivotally mounted on the pivot pin for rocking movements, said bolt being of sheet metal having spaced apart parallel sides,

each terminating at one end in an inturned lip, said lips meeting substantially at the median plane between the sides of the bolt, the bolt at the other end thereof having a face integral with the sides, said face between the upper and lower edges of the bolt being inwardly recessed, and the sides of said bolt back of the pivot on which it is mounted having arc-shaped slots struck therein, said slots being curved on a radius extending from the slots to the axis of the pivot, a portion of the metal which is struck from said slots being turned downwardly to provide bearing surfaces and means operatively associated with the said slots.

2. In a latch, a support having spaced apart sides, a pivot pin extending between the sides of the support, a hollow bolt mounted on said pivot pin for rocking movements, said bolt. being of sheet metal having spaced apart sides, each of said last mentioned sides back of the pivot having a slot therein, a hollow handle pivotally mounted on the support into which the upper portion of said bolt extends, and a pin extending from one side of the handle to the other and through said slots in the bolt.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, combined with a spring around said pivot pin located within and between the sides of the bolt, one end or the spring being extended to bear against said pin carried by the handle and the other end of the spring extending in the opposite direction and bearing against the bolt.

4. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a top extending partially over and between said sides, a pivot pin extending between the sides of the support adjacent their outer portions, a bolt mounted to rock thereon, a spring construction including two sheet metal members slidable on each other, one of said members bearing against the bolt and the other against the support, and one of said members having upturned ears engaging against said top in one position of the bolt to provide a stop, and a spring located around said members bearing at one end against said ears and at the other end against the other of said members, as specified.

5. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 4 combined with a pivotally mounted handle and a pin carried by said handle extending through the bolt, said bolt having openings therethrough for passage of the pin whereby the bolt may be rocked by pivotal movement of the handle.

CARL GESKE.

CLYDE E. YOST. 

